Chapter 10

Xiao Qian was abandoned by her parents who favored boys over girls. She was left at an orphanage. Her original surname was Qiao, but she no longer wanted that surname. So she took the surname of the orphanage director, Xiao.

After the adoption incident, she found the director, hoping to re-adopt Xiao Yan. Her sister was 7 years older than him. Now she could support herself and asked Xiao Yan if he was willing to live with her.

In the past, he was always ostracized by other children at the orphanage. His sister was the only one who took care of him.

Xiao Yan nodded and said he was willing.

They were both children abandoned by this world. Perhaps they could rely on each other.

...

At night, the hot pot restaurant's business got better and better. Most of those taking care of the business were girls. They even lined up waiting to buy the pot.

They pushed and shoved each other, looking very excited, always peeking into the back room.

Xiao Qian saw through these girls' minds and called to Xiao Yan who was stirring the pot soup in the back room, "Little Yan, come out and serve customers."

Xiao Yan washed his hands and came out, skillfully taking out a small notebook to take orders from the customers.

He was born handsome. Even with a flat head, his features were still very rugged. After taking off his school uniform, he got rid of the scholarly student aura during the day, but added a bit of rugged texture.

Although he was politely serving customers, his expression was cold and aloof, giving people a sense that he was not very approachable.

When a girl was paying, she asked him blushingly, "Um...can I take a picture with you?"

Just as Xiao Yan was about to refuse, Xiao Qian kicked him under the counter.

He paused and said, "You can take one after spending 50 yuan."

"Then I'll add more! I want another braised beef and a braised duck wing."

The girl snapped several pictures of him happily and left satisfied.

The next customer came up and lingered around the pot cabinet, but didn't order.

Without even lifting his head, Xiao Yan casually asked, "What do you want?"

Hearing this somewhat hoarse and miserable voice, Xiao Yan looked up to see the grief-stricken face of his classmate Lin ChuSui through the glass window.

Wearing a crumpled gray hoodie, with her hands lazily in her pockets, and her hair messily tied in a bun, Lin ChuSui had a long, thin cigarette dangling leisurely from her mouth.

Under the dim yellow light, her fair little face was illuminated. Her lazy gaze swept over the row of pot dishes and she murmured to herself, "They all look pretty spicy."

"Lin ChuSui, what's wrong with you?"

Hearing this voice, Lin ChuSui looked up in shock and ran right into Xiao Yan's icy cold face.

She was so frightened that the cigarette dropped from her mouth.

While wandering around the street food stalls, she saw the long line at this store and thought it must be really delicious, so she lined up too.

She didn't expect it to be Xiao Yan's family's store!

Xiao Yan was wearing a plaid apron. He was tall and straight, looking very homey and gentle.

But...with his beautiful fingers holding the pen, the moon crescents on his fingernails turned white from force.

He looked at her coldly, "Are you...smoking?"

Visible anger flared up.

For some reason, seeing Xiao Yan so angry, Lin ChuSui shrank back all at once.

Under Xiao Yan's angry stare, her legs trembled. That feeling...was like being caught smoking by Old Lin.

But Xiao Yan was not Old Lin!

Lin ChuSui looked stubborn and justified, "Mind your own business. Don't think you're my dad. Unfortunately, my mom has remarried already so you don't have a chance."

She was always eloquent and her father always doted on her when she was little. Plus she had a group of good buddies backing her up. She was fearless and her words could anger even a Buddha made of mud.

Seeing that he didn't speak, seeming to deliberately anger him, Lin ChuSui took out another ladies' cigarette from her bag and lit it with a lighter.

Under Xiao Yan's dark, crow-like gaze, Lin ChuSui's hand shook as she lit the cigarette. But she had always been stubborn. If she was going to do something, she would go all the way, rather than dragging it out.

"Lin ChuSui, try smoking another one." His threat was low and powerful.

Lin ChuSui felt uneasy, but Xiao Yan was just a classmate the same age as her after all. At most he was just a deskmate. He had no right to control her.

"I'll try, I'll try."

Xiao Yan took off his apron and slammed it heavily on the counter before walking out of the hot pot store.

Seeing him rush out angrily, Lin ChuSui repeatedly retreated and asked guardedly, "What are you doing?"

Xiao Yan mercilessly took the lit cigarette from her mouth.

The cigarette embers burned his hand, but he didn't feel it at all. Grabbing Lin ChuSui by the collar, he dragged her to the small alley next to the hot pot store.

The alley was narrow and quiet with no one around. There was damp moss growing on the walls and a raw smell lingered in the air. Lin ChuSui had just been choked by the smoke and kept coughing. Her delicate little face was swollen red, "Brute!"

Xiao Yan questioned, "Who taught you, that Lu boy?"

"Mind your own business, classmate." Lin ChuSui poked his hard chest provocatively with her finger, "You should be grateful I'm giving you face!"

"Take your hand away."

Lin ChuSui was the type who yielded to softness but not force: "I've tolerated you for a long time. Don't think I can't fight just because I didn't settle accounts with you earlier for helping me stay in Class B. If it was someone else, I would've punched him already..."

Before she could make a move, Xiao Yan got angry first and grabbed her arm in seconds, pressing her against the wall.

Lin ChuSui was not so easily subdued. She started struggling violently.

Xiao Yan's arm was pressing right against her chest, holding her down so that she couldn't move at all.

"You..."

Leaning against the rough wall, the features of the young man close in front of her looked as cold as frost. His dark eyes were gloomy and terrifying.

This was the first time Lin ChuSui saw Xiao Yan really angry.

His previous reprimands in class for her playing with her phone and eating snacks didn't count as anger, but now, he was really angry.

Lin ChuSui's gaze lowered to see his forearm pressing her...

She didn't know why, but her cheeks began to burn up.

For the first time in her life, Lin ChuSui felt the physiological reaction that came with the word "shy".

Her heartbeat sped up, her blood flowed faster, and stars began to appear in her eyes.

Seeing the girl in front of him suddenly become docile, Xiao Yan was afraid she was pretending to be good and would try to escape when he let go. So he did not release her and asked in a low voice, "Still smoking?"

"You...bully." The young lady pouted slightly, looking at him unwillingly, "I won't succumb to violence."

"Violence? If I really used violence on you, you would've cried already." Xiao Yan pressed her even harder.

"..."

Lin ChuSui lowered her eyes to see her already flat...being pressed even flatter by him, yet he remained oblivious.

It hurt so much!

"Let me go, it hurts!"

"Still smoking?"

"No more."

Xiao Yan had gotten the answer he wanted and was about to let her go, but then heard her stubbornly say again, "You won't catch me again!"

He could also see that this girl yielded to softness but not force. The more he forced her, the more fiercely she struggled.

Xiao Yan simply let her go.

Lin ChuSui, now free, turned to run, but Xiao Yan blocked the only exit from the alley, leaving her nowhere to go.

At first, Xiao Yan didn't think this task would be too difficult.

He had done more tricky things before. He even personally sent his once overbearing foster father to prison.

Winning over a simple young lady shouldn't be difficult.

But after he really started contacting her, he realized it was not easy to straighten a crooked tree that had already grown twisted.

"I hope she will grow up safe and happy."

Xiao Yan's mind recalled Lin Xiuze's last smile amidst the big fire.

...

"Let's talk."

"Nothing to talk about." Lin ChuSui tidied her wrinkled hoodie collar, "Don't think there's something between us just because I hugged you. I don't like you. Don't get ideas."

Xiao Yan tilted his head and smiled coldly, "Who's getting ideas?"

"Just stay stubborn."

Xiao Yan reached out. She reflexively backed away, thinking he was going to hit her.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan just flipped her hoodie hood over and pulled her hair out from under her collar at the same time, tidying it.

Feeling his gentle actions, Lin ChuSui's heart felt weird and she looked away from him.

"Learn from your girlfriends. At least comb your hair when going out."

Lin ChuSui knew he was talking about Lu TianBai. That girl's favorite thing to do was dress up her hair. There were hundreds of different braiding styles saved on her phone. She came to school every day with a different hairstyle, so cute.

"I'm clumsy." She mumbled, "I can barely curl my bangs by myself. You should be grateful I'm humoring you."

The dad who liked combing her hair was gone.

But Xiao Yan said, "In this world, it's fortunate if there is someone to grow up with you. But if not, you have to learn to grow up by yourself."

Growing up alone, easier said than done.

Lin ChuSui finally calmed down, hands in pockets, leaning against the moss-covered wall, head lowered without speaking a word.

The light from the street lamp fell on her, shrouding her face in shadows so her expression couldn't be seen clearly.

The air suddenly became quiet. Only the noise of traffic could be heard from afar. "Let's go."

Seeing that he didn't seem to want to stop her anymore, Lin ChuSui left with her hands in her pockets, walking loosely.

"Wait."

"Still want to fight?" She looked back guardedly.

Xiao Yan grabbed her hoodie and pulled her back into the hot pot store, making her sit at the small table where he usually did homework. Then he went to cut vegetables at the counter by himself.

Seeing that he still wanted her business, Lin ChuSui frowned and said, "No spice, none at all."

Xiao Yan ignored her and took some of every pot dish, then put them in a ladle and boiled them in the pot soup before dishing them into a bowl.

Xiao Qian was busy serving customers but still kept glancing back at the girl.

Lin ChuSui and her eyes met, and she smiled at her: “Sit for a while, let Xiao Yan make something for you to eat.”

Lin ChuSui also politely called out: “Hello, auntie.”

Xiao Yan was a little speechless as he looked back: “She's my sister.”

“...”

The self-poking both eyes of someone who hated it, apologized repeatedly: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, hello sister, I was blind!”

Xiao Qian waved her hand unharmed: “It's okay, my big Xiao Yan is six years old, compared to you, I'm not young anymore.”

“No, no, no, sister looks younger than me! Little sister is so beautiful!”

A smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Qian's mouth. She could see that although this girl was clumsy and didn't look very smart, she had a good heart and was very simple and honest.

Thinking of what Xiao Yan had experienced in the past, if he wanted to like someone, it should be someone like her.

“You sit first, let Xiao Yan make a midnight snack for you.”

“Thank you, sister.”

Xiao Qian was free at this moment, washed her hands, wiped the water on her apron, and explained, “You are the first girl Xiao Yan has ever brought into the store. He hates oily hands very much, and is making something for you with his own hands. Not everyone can enjoy this treatment!”

Lin ChuSui said, “Because we are deskmates. The class teacher said that deskmates should help each other and be harmonious and friendly.”

“Wow, then he got too lucky in love, and actually got such a good-looking deskmate like you.”

Lin ChuSui asked in surprise: “Sister thinks I'm good-looking?”

“Of course, compared to all the girls who came to the store to sneak a peek at him, you look the best.”

“Xiao Yan said I'm not good-looking.”

“Then he was blind.”

Lin ChuSui was in a good mood, with a sweet smile at the corners of her mouth.

Xiao Qian also said, "Xiao Yan has never had a single friend since he was a child. You have to get along well with him."

"He has no friends?"

"Well, his personality... it's not easy for him to make friends. Anyway, take him out to play more often, I'm counting on you."

In fact, Lin ChuSui wanted to say that they were just ordinary deskmates. She couldn't take Xiao Yan out to play either, because they weren't the same type of people.

Xiao Yan would never go to internet cafes with them to play games, or wander the streets with them.

The two women sat together and chatted, making Xiao Yan very uneasy. He looked at the time and said to Xiao Qian, "Sister, you'll be late for night school."

Xiao Qian was so engrossed in the conversation that she almost forgot the time. She hurriedly went back to the storage room to change her clothes. As she was leaving, she said to Lin ChuSui, "Come back when you want to eat again."

"Okay."

Lin ChuSui felt that although Xiao Yan was a bit annoying, his sister was really nice.

She looked around the small shop. It was really small and narrow. The interior space was probably less than 20 square meters, but it was very clean. His math workbook was open on the table.

His handwriting was beautiful, reflecting his personality, with a bit of cursive style, powerful and vigorous.

She noticed that this was tonight's homework, and it was already completed.

Lin ChuSui's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out her phone to take pictures of the answers.

Xiao Yan walked over in time and handed her a full bowl of hot stew, while taking away the workbook on the table.

"Copying my homework, aren't you afraid the class teacher will misunderstand even more? Do you want to provide more 'early love' evidence for him?"

"You really underestimate the IQ of us homework copiers. I guarantee I can copy it to make it look nothing like yours, so Teacher Qin can't find any problems. Do you want... to test it out?" As Lin ChuSui picked up a piece of beef tripe with her chopsticks.

Xiao Yan was too lazy to argue with her. He hung up the closed for business sign and started tidying up the counter: "If you want to copy homework, that's fine, but only if you promise me one thing."

The most principled top student Xiao Yan was actually bargaining with her now. Lin ChuSui could vaguely guess what he wanted her to promise.

She kept her head down, looking at the bowl of beef stew full of love, and asked, "You want me that much?"

Xiao Yan: "..."

The little sister seemed a little shy, with flushed cheeks: "I admit the temptation of homework is really great, but I'm a principled person. I don't want to and am not in the mood for a relationship, so don't hold out any more hope for me, or expect me to respond to you. You're a great guy and I hope you find happiness."

"Are you done?"

Lin ChuSui took a deep breath, nodded, and said very sincerely, "Yes, you can speak now."

"Quit smoking, and I'll let you copy my homework."

Lin ChuSui: ?